In this series we’ll take a fresh look at resources and how they are used. We’ll go beyond natural resources like air and water to look at how efficiency in raw materials can boost the bottom line and help the environment. We’ll also examine the circular economy and design for reuse — with an eye toward honoring those resources we do have.

While changes at home can’t solve the many environmental crises we face today, they can sure help. Through this series, we’ll explore how initiatives like curbside compost pick-up, rebates on compost bins, and efficient appliances can help families reduce their impact without breaking the bank.

Despite decades -- centuries even -- of global efforts, slavery can still be found not just on the high seas, but around the world and throughout various supply chains. Through this series on forced labor, sponsored by C&A Foundation, we’ll explore many different types of bonded and forced labor and highlight industries where this practice is alive and well today.

In this series we examine how companies should respond to national controversy like police violence and the BLM movement to best support employees and how can companies work to improve equality by increasing diversity in their ranks directly.

Compost is often considered a panacea for the United States’ tremendous food waste problem. Indeed, composting is a much better option than putting spoiled food in a garbage can destined for a landfill.

A twenty mile long sea dike in the Yellow Sea will help transform wetlands into an industrial zone, creating a northeast Asian economic center. A theme park, golf course, and factories will soon change the face of North Joella, a province that currently consists largely of small farms. A landmass seven times the size of Manhattan, totaling 155 square miles will be reclaimed in a plan many consider to be one of the country’s biggest ecological blunder. The Saemangeum estuarine was finally dammed in April, 2006, after many years of conflict.

Wetlands such as Saemangeum help mitigate flooding and prevent soil erosion, of vital importance to area residents. This area was also of particular importance to migratory birds flying from Alaska and Russia to Australia and New Zealand. A study published last month shows a decline of 137,000 shorebirds in Saemangeum from 2006 to 2008. “This project is not about protecting the environment,” said Park Hyoung Bae, an official with the Saemangeum development authority. “It is about economic development. And we will do that in an environmentally sound way.” “Currently, this project has an environmentally friendly face, but just planting trees on some part of the sea wall isn’t truly about going green,” said Yoon Sang-hoon of the conservation group Green Korea. This situation is a typical example of conflict between protecting the environment and boosting the economy. Although TriplePundit is full of win-win examples of satisfying both interests, no solution has been found thus far in this case.

Sarah Lozanova is a green copywriter and communications professional specializing in renewable energy and clean technology. She is regular contributor to environmental and energy publications and websites, including Mother Earth Living, Triple Pundit, Home Power, Earth911, and Green Builder. Her experience includes work with small-scale solar energy installations and utility-scale wind farms. She earned an MBA in sustainable management from the Presidio Graduate School and she resides in Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage in Midcoast Maine with her husband and two children.

One response

I don’t really have a problem with land reclamation projects like this. The balance will happen if it allows South Korea to do something useful with the land and if it prevents bad things from happening elsewhere. This isn’t necessarily a big deal. The problem is – will they use this for something useful? Or will it just be to manufacture more plastic shite?